MGM THEATRE OF THE AIR

MGM Theater of the Air ran from 1949 to 1952 and was a series of mostly dramatic plays performed for the radio. Though sometimes the plays could be about comedy or romance, there were always dramatic undertones to stories.

Arguably the jewel of the eight-program portfolio, M-G-M Theatre of the Air brought an initial twenty-six, hour-long M-G-M film adaptations to Radio starring M-G-M's greatest talent. By 1939, M-G-M had produced over 1,600 feature films, many of them award winners. With such a deep bench from which to draw upon, M-G-M Theatre of the Air was a natural pick to headline M-G-M Radio Attractions' first major portfolio of programming. By April 1950 the demand for the package remained strong enough for M-G-M to produce another 26 weeks of M-G-M Theatre of the Air, for an intial season offering of 52 episodes.

The first 26 weeks of programming headlined Deborah Kerr, Van Heflin, Charles Laughton, Margaret Sullavan, Burgess Meredith, Fredric March, Florence Eldridge, Edward Arnold, John Garfield, Marlene Dietrich, Margaret O'Brien, Brian Aherne, Cornel Wilde, Ann Sothern, Rex Harrison, Celeste Holm, Madeleine Carroll, Mickey Rooney, Melvyn Douglas, Luise Rainer, Ralph Bellamy, George Murphy, and June Havoc (almost all of whom can be seen in the photo below). With such an array of award winning M-G-M talent, often appearing in the very roles they made famous, the hour-long drama offering was a natural winner for any station broadcasting the package.

EPISODES LIST

MGM Theater of the Air 49-10-21 (02) Johnny Eager MGM Theater of the Air 49-11-18 (06) Citadel MGM Theater of the Air 49-12-09 (09) Anna Karenina MGM Theater of the Air 49-12-16 (10) The Youngest Profession MGM Theater of the Air 50-01-13 (14) Crossroads (Rex Harrison) MGM Theater of the Air 50-01-20 (15) Slightly Dangerous MGM Theater of the Air 50-01-27 (16) Riptide MGM Theater of the Air 50-02-03 (17) Stablemates MGM Theater of the Air 50-02-10 (18) Third Finger, Left Hand MGM Theater of the Air 50-02-24 (20) Come Live with Me MGM Theater of the Air 50-05-12 (30) Chained MGM Theater of the Air 50-05-26 (32) His Brother's Wife MGM Theater of the Air 50-06-02 (33) Joe Smith, American MGM Theater of the Air 50-07-28 (40) Public Hero Number One MGM Theater of the Air 50-08-04 (41) A Letter To Evie MGM Theater of the Air 50-08-11 (42) Stamboul Quest MGM Theater of the Air 51-03-16 (71) Hold Your Man MGM Theater of the Air 51-04-06 (74) Love is a Headache